BUNGALOW AGLOW

Admire how a Pennsylvania couple have brought modern convenience to their cozy 1920s home while placing architectural character, curated collections and cherished heirlooms at top priority.

Expanding a 1920s house has given a pair of Pennsylvania residents the space to let their character-rich collections take the spotlight as they seek to evoke comfort with their homespun country style.

WWhat could be more harried than the holiday rush? There are trees to trim, presents to wrap and cookies to bake. Pose the question to Toni and Jim Anthony and they’ll agree the only thing more daunting than a Christmas checklist is closing on a bungalow fixer-upper in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in the middle of December.

Back in 1984, neither the bungalow’s condition nor the sale’s complexity deterred the couple. “I loved the hand pump on the porch, the coal furnace’s floor chains and the carpets stitched with handkerchiefs,” Toni recalls. But the older house needed immediate attention to get it into shape for everyday living. Fortunately, the holiday spirit inspired the estate’s executor to allow the Anthonys a head start on the renovations before the deed was recorded.

For Toni and Jim, transforming the four-room, one-bath bungalow into their vision of a country idyll was an evolutionary process, as they enclosed porches, built additions and made

existing rooms more spacious over time. “We try to do a project every year,” Toni explains. All that hard work has yielded a more sizable home that now boasts eight rooms and 21/2 baths.

Introducing character-defining wood elements to spaces was another priority. The couple punctuated rooms with rustic moldings, posts, beams, wainscoting and flooring. “I guess the feeling country style stirs is comfort,” Toni says. “It recalls a simpler time when life wasn’t so rushed. Everyone who visits our home says they feel comfortable. That is exactly our goal.”

The Anthonys’ affinity for homespun craftsmanship is a family affair. Toni’s mother was a skilled seamstress who fostered Toni’s fondness for textiles. Toni’s father passed along his knack for finding unique antiques. Jim’s grandmother sewed, and her prized Christmas quilt adorns the master bedroom. His mother gifted the couple many antiques, including the sideboard nestled by the staircase.

In 1990, amid the renovation, Toni ventured into the antiques business and ran a shop for 12 years. The experience heightened her appreciation for primitive furniture, pottery and housewares. She also learned that black paint lends prim style to most wood furnishings. “I love wood. I always gravitate to it. I like the flaws,” she notes.

Toni begins planning her holiday decorating in fall. For years, she would take down her everyday displays and pack them away. Now, she leaves everything in place and fills in around her collections. She styles rooms with greenery, ornaments, candles and Santas for the season. To recreate a glowing winter wonderland, she trims the home’s exterior, patio and deck with an abundance of lights.

On Christmas Eve, Toni and Jim will host their annual open house. As they greet loved ones, they’ll look back on that first Christmas in their home when both chaos and hope reigned supreme, and their hearts will be glad.

“Everyone who visits our home says they feel comfortable. That is exactly our goal.”

Christmas-themed textiles bring warmth and comfort to the living room. A contemporary sofa is at home in the space that’s well appointed with antiques. The trunk acts as a coffee table but also serves as storage for a quilt collection. Toni adorns the wall with a collection of samplers and a bowl rack that Jim made.

Vary the number of trinkets on each shelf of a cabinet to offer visual diversity to your display.

A small niche under the open stairs becomes a sentimental focal point. A sideboard passed down from family hosts Toni’s collection of Nativity sets. A primitive-style lamp casts a charming glow on the scene, and the saltbox and tea-stained stocking complement the staircase’s rustic tones.

In the dining room, Toni tops a painted cupboard with a fruit-filled bowl and a wood bucket brimming with mashers. Their rustic tones are offset by gatherings of glitzy ornaments and a jar of peppermint candies.

Toni’s beloved dry sink occupies a place of honor in the dining room. A wooden spoon fastens the cabinet doors so dinnerware can be stored safely inside. In lieu of a standard tree stand, Toni employs an antique butter churn as a unique host for a tree dressed in simple trimmings. To further heighten the visual interest, she arranges two shelves and a framed sampler on the wall asymmetrically above the antique.